Weird & Wonderful

It's a weird world

Dog surfing

If you think about it, surfing is probably easier for dogs than it is for people. They have the advantage of four legs and little grippy paws. No wonder they make it look so effortless, gliding through the waves and putting the humans to shame. The pups are one step closer to taking over the world - the doggie revolution is upon us.Sat 20 June, Imperial Beach, California.

Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival

Around one million people travel to Japan each year for this colourful festival. Teams from different neighbourhoods build huge and elaborate coloured floats as portable shrines to their deity. They are then paraded through the streets, in a mass celebration. And the highlight of the festivities, for us puerile Midgie types anyway, is the near-naked race on the last day. Bums ahoy!1-15 Jul, Hakata, Japan.

Pizza Day

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, but maybe that is singularly down to the residents of Sao Paulo. So deep is their love for pizza that they scoff one million a day, have made it their national dish, hold an annual festival to celebrate it and any resident who doesn’t like it is put in jail (OK, we made up the last one). And during ‘Pizza Day’ one million pizzas are handed out for free. Mmm.10 Jul, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Camel Racing

This event kicks off with the Twilight Camel Race; twinkling stars, dusty sand and galloping camels. Early the next morning the serious racing begins, with bets being placed as to which humped beast will run the fastest. It’s not the most graceful thing you’ll ever see - they kind of trundle and lollop along like a sack of potatoes on legs - but golly gosh, they are fast. 17-19 Jul, Boulia Desert, Australia.

Cardboard Boat Race

There’s a really obvious reason why we don’t make boats from cardboard, i.e. they sink. But this minor detail doesn’t stop hordes of people spending months building the perfect cardboard sailing device for the annual Cardboard Boat Championships. It’s tears before bedtime when their masterpieces turn to mush, but at least losers can look forward to the notorious ‘Titanic Award’.25 Jul, Heber Springs, USA.

Twins Days Festival

Twins can sometimes appear a little freaky, especially when they are fully grown adults who still choose to wear identical outfits and have matching haircuts. This annual celebration gathers together twins from across the globe. But if you’re spooked by twins in The Shining, then this may be more than your fragile mind can take... ‘Come and play with us, forever and ever and ever.’Fri 7-Sat 9 Aug, Twinsburg, Ohio, www.twinsdays.org